Inaugural NBA Pioneers Classic to celebrate Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd, Nathaniel ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton
Game in Feb. 2026 will honor first African Americans to play in NBA
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association will reveal plans today on how they will honor the 75th anniversary of three late NBA pioneers – Chuck Cooper, Earl Lloyd and Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton – this upcoming season and beyond, a source told Andscape.
Cooper, Lloyd and Clifton made history as the first three African Americans to play in the NBA during the 1950-51 season. In honor of the trio, Cooper’s former Boston Celtics will play the Milwaukee Bucks to tip off the arrival of Black History Month and celebrate NBA Pioneers Day in the inaugural NBA Pioneers Classic on Feb. 1, 2026, in Boston on ESPN. The Bucks and Celtics will be outfitted with commemorative jersey patches and warm-up shirts with the winning team receiving the NBA Pioneers Trophy.
Each year going forward, the NBA Pioneers Classic will be played on Feb. 1 – NBA Pioneers Day – to recognize the start of Black History Month and honor the legacy of the NBA pioneers.
NBA teams will don special warm-up shirts throughout February to celebrate the legacy of Cooper, Clifton and Lloyd.
“On behalf of the Cooper, Lloyd and Clifton families, we are grateful to the NBA and NBPA for this incredible recognition and for establishing the annual NBA Pioneers Classic and Day,” said Chuck Cooper III in a statement. “Ensuring our fathers’ legacies continue to inspire future generations and fans.”
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The NBA and NBPA also plan on honoring the aforementioned NBA pioneers during Black History Month in February and during NBA All-Star 2026 in Los Angeles with community events, in-game video tributes and educational pictures and videos on NBA social channels and on the Black History Month webpage on NBA.com. Additionally, the fifth annual NBA HBCU Classic will include the men’s basketball programs of Hampton University and North Carolina A&T State University during All-Star Weekend. During the 2025 NBA draft, family members of Cooper, Clifton and Lloyd were recognized.
The Celtics made Cooper the first African American player ever drafted on April 25, 1950. The Knicks made Clifton the first African American to ever sign an NBA contract on May 24, 1950. Due to a scheduling quirk, Lloyd became the first African American to play in an NBA game when his Washington Capitols played against the Syracuse Nationals on Oct. 31, 1950.